The present invention relates to a lighting device and, more particularly, to an autonomous lighting device for helicopter blade end (tip).
A helicopter (chopper) is an aircraft that is lifted and sustained in the air horizontally by rotating wings or blades turning on vertical axes through power supplied by an engine.
Helicopters are used for civil, military and law enforcement applications. Some heavy helicopters are adapted to carry dozens of passengers (e.g., worriers) and their equipment.
In some cases, helicopters fly in a close formation which includes a pair or more of helicopters, under low visibility conditions (e.g., at a dark night), which increases the chances of a collision between closely navigating helicopters.
Indeed, in 1997, two Israeli helicopters of a pair formation crashed in the north of Israel due to collision therebetween causing the death of all 72 crew and passengers.
Helicopter blade end lighting systems are known for several years. Such systems include a light source which receives power from the main power source of the aircraft. These prior art systems are controlled by the pilot from the cockpit. As such, these systems are wired both to the cockpit and to the main power source via sliding contacts at the rotor's shaft.
However, in modern helicopters, such as, but not limited to, BLACKHAWK, COBRA, APACHE, wiring between the blades and the aircraft's body is not feasible, since in such helicopters the blades are each a bulk of composite material and has no inner cavity adapted for wiring, and further since such helicopters lack sliding contacts at the rotor's shaft.
There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, an autonomous helicopter blade end lighting device.